


Let's Get This Freakshow on the Road

by adrianjoshua



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Hub 360, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 16:11:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19467496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrianjoshua/pseuds/adrianjoshua
Summary: After a long day and more than a few injuries, Hancock and Nate discover Hub 360. This turns out to be the ultimate blast from the past for Nate, and results in more than just a little nostalgia and grief. Luckily, he has Hancock there to get him through it.





	Let's Get This Freakshow on the Road

**Author's Note:**

> So I have no idea what the name of the quest was or a lot of the specifics cause it was a while ago, but it was the one where sole finds a courser and can choose to either take out his two remaining targets or let them go, and at the end of it all you gain access to Hub 360. The way that place was perfectly preserved made me think that sole definitely had some nostalgia, and because I'm gay and love Hancock more than life itself I wrote this! If there are any inaccuracies my bad, like I said, it's been awhile since I played this quest. I hope y'all like it!

Nate’s legs ache as he makes his way up the stairs to the elevator. The fight with the synths left him battered and bruised, and the gash in his side continues to bleed sluggishly. 

“Damn, you were awesome out there! Sorry I wasn’t much help, but it was worth it to watch you in action.” Hancock says, grinning sideways at him and pushing at his shoulder. Nate huffs a laugh as he limps into the Hub 360 elevator. 

“Thanks, but you weren’t too bad yourself man.” he leans back against the wall, head thunking against the metal. 

“Bullshit, I was down not two minutes in.” 

“You got some good shots!” the two bicker like this as the old elevator rattles upward. The ding when they reach the top cuts them off, and they ready their weapons. This place belongs to the Institute, specifically to a Courser. No telling what lies in wait behind those sliding doors. 

“What the Hell?” 

“Eloquently put.” Perfectly preserved trinkets line the walls and shelves along the hallway in front of them. Rot and disaster never arrived here, and Nate runs his hands along the untouched wallpaper as he makes his way through the first open door. This place feels like it came straight out of 2077. Flashes of memories make their way through his brain--his living room, decorated with the same trinkets adorning the Courser’s office, his wife reading the very same book that sits collecting dust on the floor, waking up in the morning to the blare of his alarm clock, one that matched the one on the nightstand beside the rumpled bed. Everything here reminds him of the life he left behind long ago, and he collapses on to the edge of the bed, feeling his breathing pick up. 

“Hey, are you doing okay?” Hancock asks, delicately stepping into the room. Nate nods, but fails to make words come out of his mouth. His throat closes up and he feels the embarrassing sting of tears behind his eyes. 

“Fuck,” he curses, head falling into his hands. Hancock rushes to his side, rough hands sliding comfortingly around the man’s shoulders. 

“Come on, you’re all right. I’ve got you.” he says, rubbing Nate’s back in hopes that it helps. Comforting people was never his strong suit. They sit there for a while, entangled in one another, while Nate tries to get ahold of himself. He eventually pulls away, wiping at the hot tears that spilled down his cheeks. 

“Jesus, sorry. That was embarrassing.” he says, his voice still strained and his eyes still puffy. 

“We all cry. Nothing to be ashamed of.” Hancock replies easily, hand dropping to his lover’s knee. “You need to talk about it?” 

He shakes his head, running a hand through his short hair. He cut it shortly after waking up from cryosleep--it reminded him too much of the life he used to have. His wedding ring glints on his ring finger and catches Hancock’s eye. Before, it would have made the ghoul jealous, but now it only inspired a sense of sadness, and regretfully, some pity. He reached out to Nate and tangled their fingers together. 

“No, no I’m good now. I’m okay. I need to look at the damn computer.” he says, chuckling. Hancock smiles back, a small, fond thing that he can’t help. This guy, this man from the past, has turned him into a goddamn softie. 

“Yeah, all right. You do that, I’m gonna take a look around the rest of the place, okay? Make sure it’s empty.” 

“Got it. See you in a second.” he says, leaning down to kiss his cheek before getting to his feet and moving back into the office. He takes a seat at the monitor and gets to work, reading each correspondence carefully. Once finished, he leans back in the chair, staring up at the trinkets and books lining the shelves. These days, familiarity has become a rarity, so getting the chance to see all this again? It takes his breath away. 

Nate gets to his feet and makes his way through the now-open door. The room opens up into a cavernous space, with a sunken living room to the right and a kitchen to the left. Sunlight shines through the blinds on the large windows. He scans the room once more, but still doesn’t see Hancock. 

“Hancock?” He calls, worry creasing his forehead. 

“In here.” the man in question replies, his voice echoing from the open door to the right. Nate makes his way over there, eyes flicking across the second bedroom. It looks similar to the other one, though a bit smaller. Hancock reclines on the bed, arms behind his head and eyes shut. He squints one open to peer at Nate and grins. 

“Pretty nice, eh?” he says, sitting up. 

“Yeah.” he chuckles, leaning against the doorframe. “We could stay here for the night, if you want.” he says, biting his lip and glancing away. The desire to stay here, amongst the familiarity and the feeling of home almost overwhelms him, but he refuses to let it show. 

“Oh, I want. This might be the nicest place I’ve ever set foot in. I’m not usually the type to seek out luxury, but  _ damn. _ ” Nate laughs, pushing off the frame and stepping forward, sitting down on the bed beside Hancock. He listens to the man ramble for a moment, always happy to let him lead the conversation. 

“Do you think this place has running water? I mean, the Courser didn’t need it. He’s a robot. But still, for appearances?” Hancock wonders aloud. 

“Let’s find out.” Nate stands up and takes the few steps to enter the bathroom. The shower looms to his right, and he leans over, turning the faucet. Water immediately pours out, soaking his arm and making him shout with surprise. 

“It’s hot!” He calls to Hancock, who moves into the bathroom a few moments later. 

“Hell yeah. Care to join me?” he asks, waggling what’s left of his eyebrows suggestively. Nate snorts, but nods, quickly shedding his clothing. Hancock does the same, gently placing his coat and tricorn across the bed, treating them with the same care one might treat a baby. He turns back to Nate then, arms at his sides, though the Vault-Dweller notices the small twitch indicating his self-consciousness. He steps forward, wrapping the smaller man in his arms easily. 

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” he murmurs, pressing a gentle kiss to the man’s scarred cheek. 

“Flatterer.” Hancock responds easily, but Nate feels the way he relaxes into the embrace, his own arms coming up around him, rough hands running across his back. 

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up.” He says, stepping back but letting his hand slide down to hook onto the other’s, using that to drag him into the bathroom and under the warm spray of water. Nate hisses as the first of the water slides over his wound, watching as the blood washes away down the drain, staining the water pink as it does. Hancock stands close to him, humming softly as he runs his hands over his body, washing away the sweat, dirt, and blood. Nate finds himself distracted as he watches, eyes lingering on the other man’s body. He doesn’t get to drink in this sight very often, usually too busy with trying to stay alive or Hancock feeling much too self-conscious. Nate tries to understand that, tries to look at the radiation scars and burns the way that an outsider might, that Hancock himself does, but all he’s ever seen is beauty. 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” the man in question teases, having finally noticed Nate’s wandering stare. His cheeks flush and he ducks his head, going back to gently washing away the grime on his own body. Hancock only chuckles, leaning back against the side of the shower, his own eyes wandering. 

Once they finish up, Nate wanders his way to the laundry room in the front hallway, scrounging up some towels to dry themselves off with. Hancock thanks him, wrapping the cloth around his waist and crossing his arms over his chest protectively. Nate knows he longs to put his clothes back on, but refuses to do so while still wet. 

“Feeling better?” Hancock asks, black eyes brimming with concern. He shrugs, tugging a relatively clean shirt on over his shoulders, ignoring the way the fabric sticks to the still-damp parts of his skin. 

“Kinda. Not often I’m 100% these days, you know?” Nate says, brutally honest. He never has been able to lie to Hancock, and eventually he just gave up on it. 

“I feel you brother.” the ghoul says, a small, sad smile creeping across his features. Nate tugs on his boxers and collapses onto the mattress, letting out a deep sigh as he sinks into the old, creaky mattress. A few minutes later, the bed dips and Nate glances over to find Hancock laying beside him, now clad in a clean shirt and pants. 

“Hey sunshine.” he says when Nate makes eye contact, and he grins, cheeks flushing at the pet name. Nora never really used pet names when they were together, preferring to save them for when she really wanted to fluster him. It was something he’d had to get used to with Hancock, the frequent uses of ‘love’ and ‘sunshine’ dropping from his lips easily, as though it cost him nothing. Nate supposed it didn’t. 

“Hey.” he says, voice barely above a whisper. The events of the day are finally catching up to him, making his limbs heavy and his eyelids droop. Hancock scoots closer, hand reaching out, searching for Nate’s. He shuffles a bit too, entangling his fingers with the other’s and leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his forehead. 

“Thank you.” he whispers, and Hancock makes a questioning noise, looking up at him, brow furrowed. 

“For...for letting us stay here tonight. For helping me fight. For being here.” he says, shrugging and avoiding the ghoul’s gaze. Hancock stays silent, sensing that Nate just needs to get this out. 

“I just...when I got out of that pod, and my wife was dead, my son was missing, and the world had moved on without me for  _ 200 years,  _ I just...I kind of thought that was the end, you know? I tried to find my son, and that’s what’s kept me going for a while but now...Hancock now I have you. You’ve been by my side ever since I met you, encouraging me and inspiring me, and I just-I don’t know how to thank you for that.” He takes a breath. “If I had found this place on my own I don’t know what I would’ve done. It scares me to think about, if I’m being honest. I’m...incredibly lucky, to have you by my side.” 

Hancock stares at the man, eyes wide and mouth parted. Nate has always been a man of few words, so to hear this-this  _ monologue  _ of gratitude towards  _ him  _ of all people...it’s earth-shattering. He feels frozen in place, and he can’t for the life of him think of anything to say. 

“Sorry, uh. That was kind of a lot, wasn’t it?” Nate stares up at the ceiling, pointedly not making eye contact with the man beside him. At that, Hancock unfreezes and throws his arms across Nate, pulling him close and pressing kisses against his forehead and cheeks. 

“Fuck, Nate, I love you too.” he says in between kisses, framing the man’s face with his near-skeletal hands. “I will be here till the end with you. I’ve got a couple hundred years at least, it’s gonna be hard to shake me.” he teases, and Nate laughs, a wide smile materializing on his face. Tears well up in his eyes and he squeezes them shut to try and hide it, but a few squeeze their way out anyway. Hancock wipes them away, fingers skating gently across the man’s face.   
“I guess we both got pretty lucky, huh?” He says, dark eyes so filled with love that Nate has a hard time looking at them. 

“Guess so.” He murmurs, leaning up and pressing a light kiss to Hancock’s scarred mouth. “Come on, I’m beat. Let’s get some sleep, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me baby.” Hancock slides back onto his side, arms still looped around Nate’s chest and head resting on his shoulder. “Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams.” That night, Nate sleeps better than he has in months. 


End file.
